Welcome

Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and
others concerned about HIV/AIDS. Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the
conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning: Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive
and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a
username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own
physician.

All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators
of these forums. Click here for “Am I Infected?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please
provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are
true and correct to their knowledge.

It varies from drug to drug. Some can be absorbed in your stomach. Others are damaged by stomach acid and have special coatings to prevent them being exposed to your innards until they're in your small bowel.

Medicines administered via IV injection are "absorbed" in seconds, whilst intramuscular and sub-cutaneous injections take a few minutes.

It really depends on what drugs you are taking. You mentioned you're just starting meds but you didn't say which ones.

For example, when it comes to protease inhibitors they are broken down in the liver. Norvir is taken with the PI's so as to slow down their metabolism in the liver, causing the levels of the other PI to increase in the bloodstreams which makes them more effective against the HIV. I take Norvir, along with Truvada and Reyataz.

There is a great section here on Drug Information. Click on your particular drug and it will tell you about your drugs, their class, their effectiveness, their history, etc.